Fluid flow control device



N ov. 7, 1933. o. w. HAHN FLUID FLOW CONTROL DEVICE Filed Jan. 2, 1929 INVENTOR. @TTC W HAHN.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Nove ti, i933 Unirse srargg natuur aerien i lllairris..

This invention relates to means for controlling the volume or :dow of a fluid through a pipe,'and the objects of the invention are to provide a simple, cheap, device, easily connected into a pipe line to form part of the line, and which will control the iiow or" a uid through the pipe so that it is substantially constant over a wide range of delivery pressures, and/or a wide range of discharge heads or baci; pressures.

Briefly described, my invention comprises a valved device located in' a pipe or water or other fluid passage, which device contains an element responsive to the dynamic pressure or the water in a manner to vary the valve opening inversely in relation to the dynamic pressure, so as to maintain constant discharge. Thus with the device set for a discharge of, say three gallons per minute, the kinetic energy of a iiow to produce this will open the valve just sumcient for the now, so that ir the pressure should rise to increase the dynamic pressure the valve will close to reduce it and vice versa. This is unlike an automatic pressure reducing regulator which controls the pressure at a constant lower'value at the discharge side of the valve, inasmuch as the present invention permits the static pressure to freely equalize itself on both sides of the valve if the discharge is closed, and which is directly contrary to the functioning of a pressure regulator.

The principle mentioned above, of using the dynamic pressure oi the liquid to control the of pipe, itis contemplated that the arcani the discharge thereof per minute, have found to be capable or" being carried out in a variety oi specic constructions, and in the drawing accompanying this lapplication l show a simple form ci device which utilizes the principle and is very reliable in its action.

In the drawing Fig. l is a longitudinal section of my device` showing all the inner parts.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the device or Fig. l taken along the line 2--2 thereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the device or Fig. l taken along the line 3 3 thereof.

The body or" the device comprises three hollow sections 1, 2, 3, screwed together in the manner shown so as to form a complete cylindrical body provided at one end with a threaded opening 4 adapted to be screwed to an inlet pipe 4', and at the opposite end a threaded opening 5 adapted to be screwed to an outlet or discharge pipe 5.

The interior of section 1 of the body is a simple chamber 6, as is also the interior of section 3, a simple chamber '7. The interior of section 2 is a cylindrical chamber 8 provided with a reduced size cylindrical chamber 9 extending downwardly from one end thereof into the chamber d and separated therefrom by a wall l0, chamber 9 being closed at the bottom.

Wall l0 of extension chamber 9 is provided mi with a series of inlet apertures 1l, and within the chamber 9 is slidably positioned a tubular shell 12 open at its lower end and apertured adjacent this end with a series of inlet holes 20, and provided at its upper end with a conically formed 65 cap 13 having a rim ld which overhangs the tubu lar' body 12 and extends downwardly and outwardly into the chamber il, while just beneath the cap 13 is a row of discharge openings l5 formed in the side wall of the tubular member 12, 70 and extending through the central apex of the cap is a small oriiice 16'.

The device as described would be complete ii' it were to be used in a vertical position, but in order to permit the device to be used in horil5- zontal or any other position l provide a light compression spring l" bearing on top of the cap 13 so as to insure the tubular device l2 tending to remain pushed into the chamber 9, and the tension of this light spring is controlled by a 9@ screw 18 extending through the wall of section 3 for convenience or manipulation from the outside, while the inner end or" the screw is reduced and extends into the spring as shown at 19 so as to form a stop against undue longitudinal move S5 ment oi the tubular device l2.

ln a device of this character for a given size inlet holes l1 and 20, and the area of the outlet holes l5 taken with the area or" the small hole 90 16, also the area of the annular passage between the edge of cap lfl and the inner wall of chamber 8, shall each be equal to the area of the inlet pipe'screwed to the device at Li, and also equal to the area of the outlet pipe screwed to the device 95 at 5, so that with the tubular member l2 at the bottom of chamber 9 there will be a `fluid passage from the inlet at Il to the outlet at 5 of substantially equal area at all points so that a nuid would iiow through the pipe'in which the l0@ device was installed with substantially the same freedom that it would now through the pipe without the device in place.

Since the tubular member l2 is prefectly free to rotate in the cylindrical bore 9 it is manifest that 105 if the inlet holes in the member l2 and in the wall of the chamber l0 were evenly disposed upon slight revolution of the member l2 there would be a considerable reduction in the respec tive area of the port for the inlet of the liquid, llo

and in order to overcome this without splining or otherwise preventing the rotation of member 12, I simply provide a set of holes in member 12 and a set of holes in wall 10 of unequal numbers, so that any point of relative rotation of the member 12 and wall 10 there: will always be a free passage for entry of the iiuid to the member 12 substantially equal to the area of the inlet pipe 4. This unequal disposition of the holes in the two members as described is best shown in the sectional Fig. 2.

In considering the device as described and with the tubular or sleeve member 12 at the bottom of chamber 9 as shown, it will be seen that a iiuid, such as water, entering from the pipe 4' will freely ow upward, pass through the inlet holes 11 and 20 to the interior of member 12, thence upward and outward through outlet holes 15 to chamber 7, while a small quantity of the liquid will pass directly through the small orice 16 to join the liquid in chamber 7 and thence pass freely out of the pipe 5'. It will also be observed that since the portion of fluid passing through restricted orifice 16 will develop a friction tending to lift member l2,V and that the kinetic energy of the owing water in passing outwardly through passages 15 and through reversal of the direction of ow of the liquid caused by overhanging rim 14, will cause an additional lifting force to be exerted. against the device 12.

The kinetic energy developed by the flowing liquid, will of course depend on its velocity, and not on its pressure, in passingl through the device 12 and reversing under the overhanging flange 14, and hence the distance to which the device is moved outwardly against the tension of spring 17, will depend entirely on the rapidity o fiow.

Therefore since the rapidity of flow is determined by the eiective area of the inlet ports 11 and 20 through which the liquid is admitted to the interior of device l2, and since the area of the ports is cut down by a lifting of the device 12 through an increase speed of flow, it follows 'that with a certain setting of the device and certain original proportions of the various passageways and parts, that a constant outlet flow will take place from pipe 5' within a great diierence in range of pressure admitted through pipe fi.

The speed oi the iiowing water in the direction of outlet in the chamber '7, will be necessarily proportional to the volume of water passing this point. The push of the liquid against the actuating ange 14 of the tubular or sleeve valve device 12, together with the frictional effort exerted by the flow of the water through the restricted hole 16, will be nearly in proportion to the speed of the ilowing. liquid and is opposed only by the weight of the device 12 plus the effort of the adjusting spring 1'7. The weight of the device 12 being very light in proportion to the tractive eiort of the flowing water, becomes almost negligible, thus allowing the operation of the mechanism at any desired angle.

With the device as described set for a discharge of three gallons per minute out of its outlet end and placed in a pipe line wherein the delivery pressure could be varied from fty to several hundredl pounds per square inch, and with variations of back pressure or heads on the outlet pipe 5' running from six inches to one hundred feet in height, the outlet flow was held substantially at three gallons per minute from any faucet at any point of elevation opened suillciently or greatly in excess of that necessary to accommodate a three gallon per minute iiow throughout the range of pressures and heads involved. Also, if three faucets were opened at once there was but one gallon per minute now from each. and this notwithstanding the fact that when the faucetswere closed the actual static pressure in the pipe just back of the faucets was equal to that in the delivery pipe 4'.

Having thus described my invention and shown wherein it diil'ers from a mere pressure regulator, which of course would pass any amount of liquid through the pipe if all the faucets were opened in the experiment above given, it will be seen that I have provided a simple mechanism which will control the flow of a fluid such as liquids or gases through means of a factor derived from the iiow of the fluid sought to be controlled.

I claim:

1. A iluid flow control device adapted to pass a liquid therethrough comprising a chambered body, a partition formed within the boiy dividing it into two chambers one of the chambers being provided with an inlet and the other provided with an outlet the inlet and outlet being of substantially equal cross section area, a passage formed in the partition communicating between said chambers and a movable device fitted within said passage provided with ports of equal eiective area to the inlet arranged to unrestrictedly pass a volume of liquid equal to the volume entering the inlet at a predetermined minimum dynamic pressure, said device adapted to restrict the now of liquid passing therethrough upon an increase in the minimum predetermined dynamic pressure whereby the volume delivered to the no ing to'reduce the low upon such movement, said m0 shell having a cap at the remote end thereof with respect to the direction of flow for diverting the flowing liquid around the outer edge thereof and forming a reactance to the flow,

said cap being spaced from said chamber around the sides to provide a space for the passage of the liquid, having an area not less than the area of the pipe.

3. A iiuid flow control device comprising a body with a cylindrical chamber therein provided with an extension chamber portion of reduced diameter ported to an outer chamber, a fluid inlet port to the outer chamber and a fluid outlet port to said cylindrical chamber, a cylindrical shell slidably mounted in said extension chamber ported to receive iluid from the porting of the extension and ported to discharge to said cylindrical chamber, and means carried by said shell adapted to be influenced by the dynamic pressure of the uid for sliding the shell, the porting of the shell being so arranged as to be reduced in effective area upon sliding movement of the shell, said means carried by the shell comprising a cap at the remote end of said shell with respect to direction of ilow arranged to provide a reactance to the fluid, said cap overhanging the shell within the said cylindrical chamber, and spaced around the edge thereof from the sides of the cylindrical chamber to provide a space verting the flowing uid around the outer edge thereof and forming a reactance to the flow, said cap being spaced from said chamber around the sides to provide a space for the passage of the liquid, having an area not less than the pipe area, and said cap being pierced by a relatively small relie! aperture.

' O'I'IO W. HAHN.

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